


Strawberry Bubblegum

by chasingthebooty



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, No Name AU, but i always write him like that, eren likes listening to him, levi plays guitar, levi's a pervert, this is so fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-16 22:43:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4642791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasingthebooty/pseuds/chasingthebooty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren wants nothing more than to just listen to Levi play his guitar for hours on end. Levi wants nothing more than to just get friendly with the tanned skin brat who's been eavesdropping on him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strawberry Bubblegum

                It’s almost a shame that _this_ is how Eren has to go about doing things.

                He _could,_ essentially, just settle for listening to other people play their guitar on YouTube, though that usually means that Eren has to force himself to listen to the voices of people who _think_ that they can sing but, honestly, sound about as pleasant as nails running down a chalkboard. Which, by the way, isn’t a particularly appealing noise - at least, Eren doesn’t think so.

                He could also probably settle on looking for purely acoustic playlists of songs, but _that_ option still entails the off-key voices of popular singers and, oftentimes, a few extra instruments other than guitar. Assuming that there’s a guitar even _in_ the song in the first place.

                There’s also the fact that Eren could try to learn how to play guitar himself, but playing guitar and listening to guitar are two completely different things. He wants to be able to settle back and close his eyes, focusing all of his brainpower on _listening_ , instead of trying to remember how to do what and when, how to not break the strings, how to even so much as _hold the guitar up_. Eren’s tried playing a guitar before, though it didn’t end too well - his friend since early middle school, Jean, had been with him during one of his attempts, and Eren ended up with a smashed instrument because Jean would _“rather die than have to hear that shit again.”_

Eren might’ve been offended by Jean’s words, but Jean wasn’t wrong. Eren knows he can’t play music very well. He doesn’t really have the patience for that kind of thing. He’s willing to sit down and _listen_ for hours upon hours, but having to dare subject his eyes to a guidebook on how to play an instrument, well, Eren’s fallen asleep every time he’s set his mind onto wanting to learn how to make music.

                As of right now, Eren sits with his back to the wall, trying not to look so obvious about what he’s doing. Not that it matters too much, there’s nobody around - it’s too late in the day for a ton of students to be wandering in and out. Especially down _this_ corridor, which is so conveniently placed as far away from the heart of the school - _the auditorium_ \- as possible. Eren, however, appreciates the silence that accompanies his late visits, because it makes it easier to just listen.

                Every Friday for the past few months, Eren’s been able to stay after school, only having been questioned about it by a few teachers, to all of which Eren’s successfully been able to lie about being a part of the Chess Club. Which might just be the only club in the entire school that runs three out of the five days of the school week, one of which always seems to be Friday, to Eren's luck. What a bunch of nerds.

                From three-thirty to five in the afternoon, in the music room located on the second floor of the building, a group of what Eren assumes to only be about three or four people meet up. They don't have a regular schedule as to what _days_ that they gather together on, so Eren swings by every day that he can. Just to make sure that he doesn't miss anything. He does it, even though he knows that the group most commonly meets up on Fridays. Eren can't risk missing a particularly good performance.

                Eren knows one of the people who hang out in the room after school - Hanji Zoe, a relatively tall girl with glasses and long brown hair that’s usually pulled back into a ponytail. Eren only knows her because, in all honesty, it’s hard _not_ to. She’s the kind of person who makes sure her presence is acknowledged, and although she has her select group of friends that she’s always around, she still makes herself known to the entire school through being as talkative as one person can be. Eren’s had maybe one or two conversations with her, but that was all due to her sharing a math class with him. The first time that they talked was because they were paired up to do a worksheet together, and any time past that was because he’d just so happen to end up sitting next to her in class sometimes. She’s not picky about who she talks to, that much is obvious from how everybody knows her name. Eren’s almost certain that she’d talk to the wall, if there were nobody else around.

                Another member of the group that assembles in the music room after school is a much taller _boy_ , one of which that Eren doesn’t know the name. But he’s seen him, at the very least - Eren’s been able to sneak glances into the music room every so often, but he only does it when he’s _certain_ that he won’t get caught. The taller boy, he looks rather old for someone who’s only supposedly in high school. He’s got a _mustache,_ for fuck’s sake, while Eren can hardly grow leg hair. Not that he really _wants_ leg hair, but still.

                And the last member that Eren’s aware of, he has to be Eren’s favorite. For no real reasons other than, one, he’s actually really handsome, what with his dark, raven-colored hair, his ivory skin, his built arms. Eren wouldn’t mind touching his biceps. That guy’s biceps could probably crush Eren to bits just by touching him, they’re so muscular. And Eren _loves_ it.

                The guy’s name is Levi. And Eren, he knows that because, in the few times that he’s talked with Hanji, Hanji’s made sure to bring him up. She nearly spills his entire life story when she talks about him, but Eren’s found himself listening a bit closer than he probably should be whenever he hears Levi’s name. He’s enthralled by him, and even so much as learning that his favorite flavor of bubblegum is strawberry has had Eren thinking, day after day, of _Levi_ and _his strawberry bubblegum, Levi going out of his way to buy strawberry bubblegum, is there a particular reason that he prefers strawberry? Strawberry isn’t bad. Eren likes strawberry._

                The other reason for that guy being Eren’s favorite has to be the fact that he plays a guitar. Hanji plays guitar, too, but she’s nowhere _near_ as good as the dark-haired man. It’s clear to Eren who’s playing what and when - as he sits down against the wall, even now, Levi’s guitar is a more acoustic guitar, whereas Hanji’s is louder. Levi’s rarer to catch playing his instrument, which, admittedly, makes Eren kind of sad. He loves it when Levi gets his solos. He loves it when Levi’s the only one playing at the moment. The others are fine at making music, too, but they just aren’t _Levi._ Levi has a special talent that Eren can’t quite place.

                Right now, they’re practicing. There’s the faint pounding of drums, and alongside it is the strum of Hanji’s instrument. Nobody’s singing, so Eren assumes that they’re not doing a full blown session - perhaps they’re just preparing. He arrived a bit later today than he usually does, which is why he doesn’t know exactly what’s going on in there. He’d missed any conversations that’d gone on before they started playing, and it’s all because Jean fucking Kirstein - yes, the same kid who’d smashed Eren’s guitar because Eren’s shit at playing it - dragged Eren across the street to get him to buy him an ice cream.

                Jean’s never admitted to it, but Eren suspects that he has some sort of anxiety issue plaguing him. So while Eren really didn’t want to have to waste his time spending money just so Jean can stuff his face with shit, he still did it because he’d hate for Jean to feel bad about himself because he can’t bring himself to buy from a takeout place. No matter _how_ many of Eren’s guitars that he’s smashed in the past, Eren really doesn’t want to have to subject Jean to that sort of mental struggle.

                Eren relaxes against the wall. His phone - which is tucked neatly into one of his pockets and is currently stabbing his side with the way that Eren sits - said that it was about to be 4:30. Which means that Eren should probably get around to leaving soon.

                He can’t have himself get caught eavesdropping. It’s _embarrassing._ He doesn’t want to have to explain exactly what he’s been doing for that past few months. So about twenty minutes before five, Eren makes sure to pick himself up off of the ground and scurry away before he’s seen. When he gets home, his mother always asks where he’s been, but that’s when the part about being in the stupid Chess Club comes back up. He hates lying to her, but if she knew what he _really_ does and the reason behind it, she’d be worried about him. And Eren doesn’t want her to worry.

                Eren, however, can’t move. His heart’s stopped beating, his chest constricting as his ears fill with the beautiful sound of _Levi playing his guitar._

                It's rare, it's so rare to hear Levi playing his instrument, Eren had begun to lose hope in being able to listen to the melody of it tonight. But now, he thinks himself to be lucky that Levi's decided to bless his ears with his talent, even though Levi seemingly has no idea that he's doing such for Eren.

                Eren can’t leave now. He should be in the process of standing up and sneaking away, but he _can’t._ Levi’s playing slowly, it’s almost hypnotic, the sound that comes from the room. Eren’s head lolls back, hitting the wall, his shoulders as relaxed as they can get, his legs spread out against the floor beneath him. The floor’s still cold, even though Eren’s been sitting here for a good thirty minutes or so, and it only adds to the pleasure that courses through him at the music Levi plays. His cheeks flush at the image that passes through his mind of Levi with his hair falling over his eyes as he stares down at his instrument, his fingers working delicately through the strings, his arms unintentionally flexing at each movement.

                Eren might even dare to say that Levi’s utterly _perfect._ He’s on the shorter end of things, but what he lacks in height is easily made up for in width and in talent, in how he looks so athletic and hard, in how his music sends chills down Eren’s spine and kisses his ears the same way that his mother used to do when Eren was only five. He, of course, made her stop doing that once he grew a little older, but that was only out of his struggle to try and get people to treat him like he's an adult. In truthfulness, he kind of misses those kisses - but what he’s missing from her is now made up for with Levi.

                Eren loses himself in the sweet song, his eyes drooping as the slow pace of the chords makes him drowsy. It’s too good, the way that Levi plays, and if Eren could spend the rest of his life like this, he wouldn’t mind. Even with the uncomfortable wall of the school pressing against his back and with the cold chills that pass through the air vent above him, Eren would be fine sitting here for an eternity as long as he gets to hear Levi play his guitar.

                It’s not until the music’s completely stopped and there’s shuffling inside, does Eren realize that he’s overstayed his welcome. A quick look at his phone tells him that it’s a minute or two past five, and _fuck, Eren’s gotta get the hell outta here before someone-_

                “First of all, Shit Eyes, I don’t care what kind of shampoo your dog uses.”

                “But Mike did!”

                “Do I fucking look like Mike to you? And I’ll bet he only told you that to shut you the hell up. Isn’t that right? Mike?”

                There’s no response, but if there was, Eren’s certain he wouldn’t have heard it through the pounding in his ears. He rushes to stand up, but in his frantic dash, he slips on the floor and lands right back on his ass. He winces as the pain spreads up into his lower back, but he doesn’t have time to linger - he can hear footsteps heading his way, and he’ll be damned if today’s the day that Eren finally has to admit to eavesdropping. It’s not like he’s ever heard any pertinent information escape the mouths of the little group, though he _did_ hear something once about Levi having eaten a particularly bad lunch and having had spent several hours in the bathroom because of it.

                Not that Eren really thinks that’s important to know. But, for whatever reason, anything and everything that he hears about Levi sticks with him. The strawberry bubblegum, the shit-inducing lunch - _everything._

                The door swings open by Eren, Eren having only just gotten back up to his feet. In hindsight, they might’ve ignored Eren, but the fact that Eren’s standing in front of them with his legs at odd angles and his arms spread, eyes wide, body frozen, it's just a _little_ suspicious.

                Levi’s the first one out the door, empty-handed. Hanji’s just behind him, and she’s actually the first to look at Eren, her eyes bright and a smile forming on her face. She stops in her tracks, one hand halting Levi from moving any further while the rest of her acts as an obstacle so that Mike - Eren’s assuming, considering Levi had addressed him and there doesn’t seem to be anyone else around - bumps into her.

                “What-”

                “Oh, _Levi!_ ” Hanji says, interrupting said man and clapping his shoulder rather roughly. “I know this kid! He and I share a math class, I’ve told you about him before, isn’t he just the _cutest?_ ”

                “Hah?”

                “His-”   

                Eren doesn’t bother to linger while Hanji tries to run off everything that she knows about Eren to Levi and, technically, Mike, though she seems to be talking more so to Levi than to the guy who’s a little further ahead of puberty than the rest of the school is. That fucking mustache, though. Could Levi grow a mustache, if he tried? If he could, Eren wouldn’t mind seeing it. His dark hair contrasts so nicely with his pale skin, and his _jaw,_ it’s so perfectly outlined against his face, Eren could envision himself running fingers through what scruff Levi could will himself to grow.      

                Except, he can’t envision that _right now._

                Because he’s too busy trying to run as far away from Levi, Hanji, and Mike as his legs will take him. He hears Hanji faintly call out to him as he zips down the hallway, but he ignores her - he _has_ to get out of here. _Now._

                To his luck, nobody seems to be following him. He doesn’t stop running until he’s outside, however, partially because he wants to be absolutely sure that he won’t be tackled to the ground by Hanji, and partially because he feels so _embarrassed._

                Fuck his life. Literally. Preferably, have Levi fuck it.

                Levi’s _really_ attractive. Like, so attractive that Eren would hang up a poster of him in his room if he owned one.

                But that’s not what Eren wants to be thinking about right now.

                He doesn’t know if Hanji or her friends have pieced it together that Eren was sitting outside their door and listening in yet, but it won’t be long before she gets it. Hanji is, in fact, the smartest kid in their math class. She _always_ knows the right answer, no matter what equation she’s given, and Eren can’t help but envy her brain.

                He almost feels bad about himself for not being as talented as his current favorite trio of people - Levi, he’s gifted at playing guitar. Hanji’s a _genius._ And Mike, he’s good at growing facial hair. Together, they bestow upon Eren’s ears the satisfaction of hearing their music every few days. Although Eren likes to focus on Levi the most, he can’t help but notice that the others are brilliant at performing, as well.

                Eren slows to a walk, starting on his way home. His heart’s beating rapidly, but it’s not just because he’s been running anymore.

                Eren’s screwed.

                And Eren knows himself well enough to understand that, even though he's been caught, he's still going to go back to that music room next week. He can't resist the feelings that flood into him without fail whenever he hears Levi, Hanji, and Mike's band, it's too addicting.

                The worst that could happen by going back is that they make him leave them alone. That, or they beat him up. Or make fun of him. Or use their instruments to wreck havoc on his currently free-from-bruises body.

                Yep, he's definitely screwed.

                                                                                                             ~|~

                “Where’s Mike?”

                “He’s going to be a little late,” Hanji explains, grabbing onto Levi’s arm and pulling him down the hallway, “He has a dentist appointment.”

                “Think maybe they’ll tell them to shave off his shitty facial hair? Fuck, I hope so.”

                “A dentist? No, I don’t think so, Levi,” she sighs, and the two of them start walking upstairs on their way to the music room.

                It’s Friday, and they haven’t gotten any practice in for their music at all this week. The reason being, Hanji had to work on a project for her science class, and Levi got detention just yesterday for punching some kid with a horse-like face in the nose because he’d looked at him wrong. That is, of course, Levi hadn’t realized that he wasn’t being given a nasty look after all, and it’s just the way that the guy looks, until _after_ he’d been yelled at by one of the shitty teachers.

                It was worth it, though. If nothing else, it released some of Levi’s pent up frustration, so it’s not _entirely_ abad thing. Sure, he feels bad for the guy, but it felt good to ram his fist into somebody’s ugly nose.

                The only reason that he and Hanji are practicing _now,_ rather than waiting on Mike, would have to be because they’re in desperate need of refreshing themselves. They aren’t used to not having practiced in an entire week, and to be honest, Levi’s fingers feel weird having not touched his guitar in so long. He’s having withdrawals.

                Just as he and Hanji reach the door to the music room, though, Levi stops. Hanji pushes into the room, but Levi stays out in the hallway.

                “Levi?” Hanji turns around after a few seconds, noticing his wary expression, “What’s wrong?”

                “Nothing. I’m just going to stay out here for a few moments.”

                “Huh? Why?”

                “No reason. It’s just, uh, it’s warmer out here. So I need to prepare myself.”

                Hanji gives him a weird look, cocking her head to the side, but she lets him go. Levi watches as she scurries over to the corner of the room and drags out the instruments, a slight grunt escaping her throat as she tries to move Mike’s drumset. Levi would help her, but he has other things on his mind right now.

                Namely, a stupid brat who nearly shit himself right before Levi’s eyes exactly one week ago.

                Levi hardly paid attention when Hanji started to go on a rant to him about how _cute_ the kid is and how _incredible_ he is, because all Levi could think about is why the fuck the kid was outside the damn music room in the first place.

                He knows he’s probably worrying over it too much, which is why he hasn’t expressed to Hanji or Mike what’s wrong, and which is why Levi didn’t tell Hanji why he’s sticking around outside the door.

                He’s hoping to run into that little shithead again.

                What was his name? It started with an E, right? Or maybe-

                _Eren_.

                His name is Eren.

                All Levi wants is to figure out why the fucker was outside the music room and find out if he’ll be coming back. Nothing more and nothing less. Levi just wants to know if he’s going to have an audience or not. He doesn’t care about the bullshit Hanji had tried to tell him about how Eren’s hair smells like strawberry bubblegum.

                Strawberry bubblegum is pretty fucking delicious. Levi’s not about to go sniff through some kid’s hair just for the scent, however.

                Levi perches himself beside the door, leaning against the wall. It’s silent, except for the few noises that come out of the music room as Hanji sets everything up. Levi doesn’t even know if he’ll see Eren today, but it’s worth a shot.

                He _is_ pretty damn cute, like Hanji had told him.

                Except, what the fuck?

                Levi shouldn’t be thinking about that. He shouldn’t have his mind set on the divine, golden skin of some brat who was standing with his perfect legs spread apart, thighs so attractive, thighs that Levi would gladly kill someone over just to get a touch of, and fuck, that _ass-_

                Levi has other things to do than focus on the little glimpses that he remembers of Eren’s appearance. Other things, like trying not to think about some kid that he technically hasn’t even met yet in such _provocative_ positions like his dick is begging him to think of.

                Levi hasn’t thought about Eren this much all week. He didn’t have a reason to. But now, standing in the very hallway where he’d first encountered him, he can’t _help_ but keep him in his thoughts. Even when he tries to think of something else, _anything_ else, things as unappealing as Mike’s mustache or Mike without any clothes on, or, really, just Mike in general, nothing works. His mind still wanders back to Eren and how nice it’d be to have the kid’s tanned legs around his waist, and when the hell did Levi get so perverted? He feels like a thirteen year old who’s just gotten their first crush. Except that Levi’s _eighteen_ and he most certainly does _not_ have a crush on Eren. He doesn’t even know the kid’s last name, much less does he know how old he is.

                Not that it’d really matter, at this point. A few too many thoughts of Eren on his hands and knees have passed through Levi’s head in the timespan of ten minutes for him to be able to defend himself if it turns out that Eren’s any less than sixteen.

                Levi’s drawn out of his thoughts - thoughts that he shouldn’t even be thinking in the first place - by the slow taps of a certain tanned skin brat sneaking down the hallway. _“Sneaking”_ being the most appropriate word because, once Eren catches sight of Levi, he freezes, still a good distance away from Levi.

                Levi most certainly wasn’t wrong in thinking that Eren’s attractive - hell, Eren’s probably one of the most beautiful kids in this shithole of a school. There is, of course, his flawless thighs that show through the fabric of his pants, his thick-but-not- _too_ -thick legs that transition so well from ankle to calf to thigh to _fucking hell, that goddamned ass,_ but also, his _hair,_ it’s the perfect shade of brown, darker than his skin but not too far off. He doesn’t seem to have a lot of body hair, but Levi can’t say that he minds. He actually has a thing for people who shave on the regular.

                Or, at least, he has a thing for people like _Eren._ He has a feeling that he’d like Eren even if Eren _didn’t_ lack in body hair, and if Eren had arm hair, Levi would find himself wanting to thread his fingers through an abundance of that shit.

                Which is stupid. Levi’s not supposed to be drooling over a pretty boy before he even knows the kid’s last name. He’s _supposed_ to be in the music room pestering Hanji about not tuning the instruments properly. He’s _supposed_ to be plotting on how to shave off Mike’s mustache without him noticing. He’s _supposed_ to be doing a lot of things, and yet, here he is, his eyes wanting nothing more than to stare down at Eren’s hips and up at his wide eyes, his hands fidgeting with the want to have nice flesh in his grasp.

                He feels like such a _pervert._ A dirty old man, minus the old part, unless he goes by Hanji’s definition, which is that Levi’s considered old purely because he supposedly _acts_ old.

                “Thought you might show up again,” Levi finally says, trying to break himself out of his trance. Eren stands before him, still frozen, his eyes reflecting Levi through his pupils and his cheeks flushed a slight pink.

                “Huh?”

                “You’re the kid from last week, right?” Levi tries, even though he knows that he’s correct, how could he _not_ be? It’s hard to forget someone who has eyes as pretty as this brat does. “The kid who was standing outside this door, the kid that Hanji tried to introduce me to.”

                “Uh.”

                Of _course_ it would end up this way, with Levi having to draw words out of Eren. Because it’s totally not like Eren could respond to him with actual sentences so immediately, oh no, Levi needs to work for it. Levi has to confront him head-on, fuck being subtle, right?

                Levi’s just a _little_ bitter. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that his thoughts keep getting interrupted by the image of himself thrusting his way between the colored legs that a certain shithead happens to be using to hold his body up, and also, fuck those pants that Eren’s wearing. When the hell did the clothing industry decide to make such tight fabrics? It’s like they _want_ Levi to lose his mind.

                “Wanna explain to me why you were outside the door?”

                Eren’s eyes shift back and forth, moving from looking to the left, at the wall, to trying to stare right into Levi’s pupils - which, he doesn’t seem to be able to keep up for more than thirty seconds at a time. Levi somewhat _likes_ it, though, when Eren’s eyes are in full view for him, it lets him see how evenly the darker greens of his irises blend into the lighter greens, and Levi can almost swear that there are a few spots where Eren’s eyes are a more blue hue than they are green, and what the hell is he doing staring into Eren’s eyes? Levi has half a mind to go ahead and slap himself and see if it knocks some sense into him, though he fears that doing something like that might scare Eren off. Eren _already_ looks considerably nervous.

                “I’m waiting,” Levi sighs, crossing his arms. He didn’t think it possible, but Eren’s eyes grow even _wider_ at that.

                Fuck, he’s so damn cute.

                And Levi’s officially gone insane.

                “Still waiting,” Levi repeats himself after another minute. “Any longer and I’ll start growing gray hairs. Gray hair doesn’t go well with black hair, so I’ll thank you to open your goddamned mouth right about now.”

                Eren blinks, but then he finally speaks. “Um, I was just passing by, when you guys walked out of the room, yeah?”

                “That’s the biggest load of bullshit that I’ve heard all week.”

                “I- What?”

                “There’s no way in hell that’s what you were doing. I believe that about as much as I believe it when Mike promises that he’ll remove his dickhose for a mustache one day. Which, I don’t believe. At all. Because that guy loves his mustache more than he loves sniffing people. Actually, that might be why that shithead keeps his mustache in the first place, it probably traps shitty people’s scents in it and he stores the smells there for later.”

                Eren only stares at Levi. But Levi can’t blame him.

                The only real reason that Levi has for not believing in Eren's story is how Eren had jumped up and run away like a frightened kitten when Levi had left the room. Anybody would be suspicious if they'd seen someone as cute as Eren get as skittish as he did at just the sight of Levi and his friends, refusing to stick around or even so much as say a hello to them.

                “Point is,” Levi sighs, “What were you doing outside our room last week?”

                “I just told you, I was-”

                “Telling me a load of bullshit, is what you’re doing. Do I need to force the truth out of you?”

                Eren’s eyebrows twitch with shock, and that’s how Levi knows that he’s got him. Of course, the fact that Eren’s cheeks are flushed and the fact that his eyes are wide are helpful, but with the slight involuntary movement of his eyebrows, Levi now knows that Eren’s, to an extent, _afraid_ of him. Or, at the very least, docile towards him.

                Which Levi just so happens to like. But probably not in the way that he should.

                Damn this kid and his cute ass.

                “Ah-”

                “Listen, I really don’t have all day. I had coffee for breakfast and it usually takes about eight hours before my stomach starts to reject it, so can we get a move on?”

                Eren blinks again, but he gives a little nod and turns his gaze towards Levi’s feet when he admits, “I was sitting outside your door because I like listening to your music.”

                “For how long?”

                “How long was I listening? Er, a few hours, maybe? I sort of just sat right where you’re standing.”

                “You sat here for hours listening to us play instruments?”

                “Mhm. It’s not the first time that I’ve done it, either. I’m sorry.”

                Levi would hate to admit it, but the mere thought of _Eren_ liking his music makes Levi actually really happy. Eren with his butt plastered to the floor and his beautiful eyes so bright with amusement, maybe he even sneaks peeks into the room whenever he, Hanji, or Mike forget to close the door. But Levi sort of hopes that’s not true, because Levi’s had some days where he’s been anything but attractive.

                And why exactly is Levi so worried about being attractive for Eren?

                Fuck his life.

                “And why didn’t you just fucking tell me that?” Levi says as he runs a hand through his hair, attempting to wipe the stupid off of himself. Eren’s managed to turn Levi into just a step above an idiot, because while he might be perfectly fine on the outside, he’s anything but on the _inside_.

                “I didn’t- I didn’t think you’d be okay with it,” Eren mutters.

                “Why wouldn’t we be? C’mere, kid.”

                Levi steps away from the wall, and he holds his hand out for Eren to take. Eren hesitates for only a second before sliding his fingers in with Levi’s, and Levi must say - Eren’s hands feel so _nice._ They’re soft, almost like he must use an abundance of lotion on them, and Levi feels a need to bring Eren’s hand up to his nose and see if it smells as good as it feels. He’s definitely warm, but Levi was expecting that, considering Eren’s face is still a bit red.

                Unfortunately, though, Levi doesn’t get to smell Eren’s knuckles, but he _does_ get the satisfaction of holding onto Eren’s hand for a good while.

                Levi pulls Eren into the music room, where he spots Hanji in the corner, still trying to tune her guitar. She’s never really been too good at that sort of thing, but she’s incredible when it comes to actually playing. She's always so in sync with Mike when he's on the drums.

                Hanji looks up once Levi enters the room, and her eyes shift back and forth from Eren’s face to Levi’s face. Levi watches as her expression goes from confused into absolute joy within seconds, but as she opens her mouth to say something, Levi decides to interrupt her.

                “Eren wants to hear us play music,” is all Levi says.

                “ _Really?_ ” Hanji rushes over, grabbing Eren’s elbow and tossing him onto a nearby chair. Levi winces when Eren lands on it improperly, causing him and the seat to both topple over and hit the ground, but Hanji - who was the one who let him fall to the floor in the first place - scrambles over and helps Eren back up.

                Levi doesn’t like the emptiness that his fingers feel without Eren around him.

                Levi most _certainly_ doesn't like the pain that hits his heart when Eren falls to the floor because of Hanji.

                Levi doesn’t like _any_ of the feelings that are going through him right now.

                Once Eren’s upright again, his butt in the seat that Hanji had tried to throw him into, Levi meets his eyes once more. He’d thought that Eren’s eyes were mostly green with hints of blue, but under this lighting, they look more blue with hints of green. Not that Levi minds. Eren’s eyes are _so_ beautiful. Levi had thought that this kid had some delicious thighs and hips, but neither are any comparison to _his fucking eyes._

                “Hanji, go get my guitar for me.”

                “Yes, sir!” she cheers, and she does a little jog away to go find Levi’s instrument. Levi keeps his hidden in the closet furthest from the exit, the purpose of that being that he’d really rather not have his precious guitar get stolen. He spent a lot of money on that piece of shit, and he’ll fuck someone up if he learns that one of the stupid band kids decided to take it home with them while Levi was away. Mike and Hanji aren’t as careful with their instruments, but that’s because Hanji trusts anyone and everyone and Mike plays the drums - if someone’s capable of stealthily dragging such a huge object outside of school, then, well, they deserve to keep it for being so determined.

                “Hey, Eren,” Levi murmurs, dropping his voice to just above a whisper. He crouches down so that he’s about level with Eren’s face, resting his hands on his own thighs to keep himself from falling over.

                “Hm?”

                “How about you and I make a deal?”

                Levi’s so stupid. So, so, so, so _stupid._

                “What kind of deal?”

                “I’ll let you sit here while we play our instruments today if you let me take you on a date tomorrow.”

                “A date?” Eren’s voice is just as soft as Levi’s, low enough that Hanji couldn’t hear from where she rummages through the closet across the room, but loud enough that Levi can understand what he’s saying and take pleasure in each waver of his tone. His lips, Levi hadn’t noticed earlier, but they’re an enthralling shade of red, a light red that only grows darker when Levi sees him bite down on himself. Levi has to swallow to choke back the urge to kiss Eren right here and now and make those lips of his shine an even brighter color.

                “Yeah,” Levi nods, “A date. I’ll take you somewhere nice, yeah? How’s a movie sound?”

                “Kind of cliché, but I’ll do it.”

                Levi smirks, and it’s taking every power he has inside himself to not peck Eren’s cheek with a kiss right now. Something about Eren is so appealing, looks-wise but also attitude-wise, in how he sits back with a small grin pulling on his lips and how he’s not questioning Levi’s motives. Levi’s certain that he doesn’t look particularly incredible right now, and in fact, he probably looks a bit frightening with the dark clothing he has on and his eyes narrowed.

                But Eren’s not asking for him to explain himself. Eren’s not asking for Levi to get to know him better before their first date.

                It makes sense - if Eren’s been truthful, then he likely knows a bit more about Levi than Levi suspects, having sat outside the music room door on _multiple_ occasions while he and Hanji and Mike talk and play music. So Eren doesn’t have a reason to doubt him. If anything, it should be _Levi_ who’s full of doubt.

                Eren looks nice enough, though. And the worst he’s done so far is lie.

                So maybe Levi’s gone insane.

                He can’t say that he doesn’t like it, though.

                                                                                                             ~|~

                Eren has Levi’s phone number.

_Eren has Levi’s phone number._

                His actual phone number.

                Like, the one that he uses.

                Often.

                Supposedly.

                The phone number that rings the phone that Levi’s hands have touched.

                Eren would like to think that maybe Levi’s more of a calling person rather than a texting person, but what if that’s not true? Using all that Eren knows about him, it’s hard to tell. On one hand, he seems like someone who thinks better when he has a little more than a few seconds to write a sentence out. He probably doesn’t use any cute faces, and Eren would think that he also probably likes to use proper capitalization and punctuation. He seems to be a formal sort of guy.

                But if he’s formal, wouldn’t that mean that he’d prefer to _talk_ instead of _text?_ Maybe that’s _too_ formal. Eren’s not sure if he should risk it, one way or another.

                Except, he’s _dying_ to speak to Levi again. It’s only a few hours before their date, it being a Saturday now, so at the very least, contacting Levi would be the most appropriate way to find out when he’s coming over to pick Eren up and if the date’s even still on in the first place.

                Just the day before, Levi had let Eren listen to him and Hanji play their instruments. They sounded even better, a few inches from the source of the sound rather than many feet away, sitting outside the door. Eren hadn’t asked for it, but Levi _did_ manage to put a solo of his in there, and Eren couldn’t have been more grateful. If there’s anything that he’d gotten lost in out of their entire practice session, it was Levi’s solo. Eren only vaguely recognized the song that they were playing, but it didn’t matter. It sounded beautiful.

                But that might’ve just been because Levi was playing it.

                Hanji sounded fine, too, but Eren still feels that Levi better suits his tastes. Levi performs slower, drawing out each chord and moving casually across the strings. Hanji performs like she’s having a spasm.

                Mike hadn’t walked into the room until much, _much_ later, and Eren had to sit subject while Hanji decided that it was absolutely pertinent that Eren knows every single detail about Mike’s life. Sort of why Eren knows about Mike’s shirt size, though he honestly has no idea what he’ll ever use that information for.

                Eren stares down at his phone, eyes glued to the name _Levi_ at the top of the screen. He’s more inclined to text right now, seeing as how that’s not only the option that’s pulled up on his phone at the moment, but he’s more likely to get a response that way than if he calls him.

                But what if Levi’s phone broke? Maybe it broke just a few minutes ago. It’ll only cause Eren stress if he tries to contact him, allowing hours to pass before Levi swings by his house and explains what had happened. And then Eren will have just wasted hours fretting over a stupid text message.

                Levi _does_ know where Eren lives. Eren had managed to dig out a Sharpie from the teacher’s desk in the music room, and he’d written his address on Levi’s arm - making sure to brush his fingers over those biceps that he so adores, of course, because _damn,_ those biceps really could kill. They nearly killed Eren, though that was more so from the blush that attacked his cheeks over the feeling of how chiseled Levi’s arm is. It’s not particularly huge, but it’s clear that it’s made primarily of muscle. And Eren likes it that way. If he had a touch more confidence, he’d have wrapped his whole palm and fingers around Levi’s limb and made it clear that he was admiring his biceps.

                But Eren’s not a fan of embarrassing himself before the first date. He’ll save the bicep-touching for a later evening.

                Eren brings his fingers down to the screen, uncrossing his legs from where he lies on his bed. Jean’s next to him, blabbing on about something, but Eren’s a bit more preoccupied with trying to calm his shaking hands down just enough to send a fucking text message.

                He’s never been so nervous to do something like this before.

                Texting someone like Jean is easy. Eren has his contact name saved as _Horseface,_ and nine times out of ten, their conversations are little more than Eren sending Jean a horse emoji and Jean replying with a knife emoji or, if Jean’s in a particularly cranky mood, a gun. Sometimes he even adds a little _“Fuck you, Eren,”_ if Eren’s lucky.

                And somehow, every time Jean sends that, Eren still finds it in himself to laugh. Because Jean’s _stupid,_ but in a good way.

                Sort of why he’s still his friend. Despite all of the wordless threats that Jean sends via text message.

                But that, of course, is all that they are - _friends._ Eren might keep Jean as a friend, but to have him as a _lover_ would be destructive. Considering that Jean thinks it’s okay for him to smash Eren’s guitars and, once, he’d purposefully crushed a snail on the concrete into a long smear of guts just from ramming his foot down onto it and rubbing the poor thing into the ground. All Eren had been doing was admiring the snail, he’d even been talking to it a little, and Jean noticed him babying it up. He then decided to kill it, along with effectively crushing Eren’s mood for the rest of the day.

                Jean’s not all bad, though. He has a heart. It’s evident in when he waltzes into the room, head held high as he belts out the shittiest pun that Eren’s ever heard, a smile across his entire face. Or when he’s talking about the girlfriend that he supposedly has, though Eren has yet to see a picture of her, so for all he knows, Jean could be lying about her. But he likes to talk about her all the time and gets defensive whenever Eren suggests that she might not be real.

                Overall, if nothing else, Eren at least has Jean to keep him company whenever he gets lonely. Jean doesn’t even care that Eren likes boys - which Eren had admitted to him around the time that the two of them first entered high school - all Jean really seems to be concerned about is whether Eren’s smiling or not. Because Jean goes into a panic if someone, _anyone,_ is crying. Any sort of social anxiety that he might have completely dissolves at the sight of tears.

                And yet, he apparently still feels no remorse toward killing off some snails.

                “Eren? Did you hear me?”

                “What, Jean?”

                “I was trying to tell you about some shithead who punched me in the- _oh shit,_ I just remembered, _I can fit a whole tennis ball in my mouth_ ," Jean gasps at the sudden revelation and subject change, "I found that out last night.”

                “You’re lying.”

                “Nuh-uh.”

                “Prove it.”

                Jean gives Eren a shit-eating grin, before he pulls out a tennis ball from his coat pocket. As if he knew that Eren was going to ask him to prove himself.

                Which, he probably _did_ know. Jean’s been Eren’s friend for long enough, Eren has no doubt that Jean was thinking of him when he first tried shoving a fucking tennis ball down his throat. Same goes for when Jean decided to put a tennis ball in his pocket. He’s always got to prove himself. Even for something as completely unexciting as having a sphere get caught in his esophagus, Jean thinks it’s necessary that Eren hasn’t a shred of doubt in his mind about Jean’s capabilities.

                Because Jean’s _stupid._

                But in a good way.

                And, no, Eren _doesn't_ get around to sending Levi a text message.

                                                                                                             ~|~

                A movie. A goddamned movie.

                Why a movie? Levi has no idea. It’s the first thing that came to mind in the heat of the moment. There aren’t even any good movies out right now on Netflix, so he has no fucking clue what he’ll force Eren to watch.

                As if they’re going to be watching the movie. Levi has other plans that involve getting his lips on a certain cute bastard’s neck. The only reason that he has for trying to figure out what movie to watch is so that he has something to glare at if Eren shoves him away. Not that Eren seems like he would - Eren was practically feeling all up his arm just yesterday when he’d written his address on Levi’s skin. Levi _did_ find pleasure in having Eren touch him, though.

                Still, nothing beats what’s going on right now. Eren’s hand is intertwined with his, their arms in front of them while Eren’s hip brushes lightly against Levi’s. Nearly their entire arms are connected, Eren’s warm skin heating Levi’s cooler body up. Eren seems relaxed enough, his breathing coming out evenly, but Levi feels like he’s nearing the stage of a heart attack. It’s overwhelming to have someone so beautiful be _so fucking close,_ tied into the fact that it seems like Levi’s the one who’s going to have to pick out the damned movie for them. Eren doesn’t look like he’s about to make a choice anytime soon.

                “How about-”

                “That one!” Eren interrupts, and he points his finger at one of the movie selections on the screen in front of them. “I’ve already watched it before, it’s really good.”

 _Well, Levi was wrong_. _Eren_ did _manage to make a choice._ Levi grunts, and he starts the movie. He’d originally planned to take Eren out to an actual movie theater, but he decided against it once he thought about how nice it’d be for it to just be him and Eren all alone together, sitting like they are now in Levi’s apartment, their bodies touching and nobody around to interrupt them. No shitty kids kicking the back of their seats, no time wasted in trying to scavenge together enough money to pay for overpriced snacks. Here, Levi can do a lot more with Eren than he can in a movie theater, whether it be just sitting closer together due to there not being a chair arm separating them - they're sitting on a couch - or whether it just be that Levi can talk above a whisper to Eren.

                Levi, to be quite frank, doesn’t give a shit about the movie. He just wants to get to know Eren better. He wants to know more about the tanned skin babe who likes band music.

                “Hey, Eren?”

                “Huh?”

                “How old are you?” It’s a simple question, but it’ll make Levi feel better about himself. He’d hate to find out that Eren’s actually just some thirteen year old who managed to enter high school early or whatever.

                “Seventeen,” Eren says. _Perfect._

                “You’re pretty cute for a seventeen year old,” Levi comments, and he slides his arm out of their handhold and over Eren’s shoulders, where he then pulls him close. Eren’s head falls into the crook of Levi’s neck without a fight, and Levi finds himself pressing his _own_ head against Eren’s. Eren’s a cute little shit. Even when Levi can’t see him, just _feeling_ him is enough for Levi to be content with himself

                Eren’s hair smells good. _Really_ good. It smells familiar, too, it’s something that Levi loves. Something that he’s smelled, time and time again, something that makes his mouth water. Something- _the fuck is it?_

“Levi, do you live here alone?” Eren’s voice is hardly above a whisper, but Levi’s ear is considerably close to Eren’s mouth, so Levi understands what he’s saying.

                “Nah,” Levi murmurs back, “My sister, Mikasa, lives here, too, but she’s going to be gone for the weekend.”

                “Why?”

                “Hell if I know. I think she said something about a camping trip. She’s about your age, so I don’t really care about what she does anymore.”

                “Huh. I don’t have a sister, so I wouldn’t know.”

                “Only child?”

                “Mhm,” Eren says, “It’s just me and my mother.”

                “No father?”

                “No.”

                “Any reason why?” Levi asks, and he starts rubbing his hand up and down Eren’s upper arm as a form of comfort. Eren breathes out a little noise at that, a noise that sends Levi’s heart into a flutter and makes him feel like it’s his mission to get Eren to make more sounds like that. It’s a _happy_ noise, and honestly, Levi wants nothing more than to make Eren happy right now.

                “Yeah, but. Um. It can wait, the best part of the movie’s about to come on.”

                Levi doesn’t fight it. Instead, he just shifts his head so that his nose is buried in Eren’s hair, the fingers on Eren’s arm pulling him close to Levi’s side. His hair is soft, incredibly so, and it may or may not be an accident when Levi kisses his shitty brat on the top of his head.

                _Strawberry bubblegum._

That’s what Eren’s hair smells like.

                He smells like one of Levi’s most favorite things in the world - strawberry bubblegum. In fact, Levi refuses to chew gum that _isn’t_ strawberry flavored, purely because strawberry has proven itself time and time again to be the best. And sitting here with his nose dug into Eren’s brown locks of hair, Levi couldn’t be any more right about that statement. Eren’s hair is almost addicting, and Levi finds himself inhaling deeply to get as much of Eren’s scent inside him as he can without Eren noticing.

                Levi can feel Eren’s eyelashes against his collar, along with his hair against his neck and his nose against his chest. Eren’s very obviously not watching _“the best part of the movie,”_ and Levi knows that for a fact because Eren’s fucking snoring right now.

                Levi would be bitter about Eren falling asleep on his shoulder so quickly, but _fuck fuck fuck he’s so fucking cute, even his snoring is adorable, and what happened to Eren just being a_ ‘shitty brat’?

                Maybe he’s still just a shitty brat. A shitty brat with the best hair that Levi’s ever smelled and a body that makes Levi’s gut twist with a sort of want that he rarely feels for others.

                All Levi has to do is wait for Eren to wake back up, because he knows now how he can make Eren’s night. It makes sense, for how it’d make Eren happy.

                Levi wants to make Eren grin, because Eren’s got one of the best smiles that Levi’s ever seen. He saw it the entire time that he’d played his guitar for Eren just the other day at school. When Eren smiles, it’s not just in his lips - his blue and green eyes become a sort of turquoise, and Levi could almost swear that he’d seen specks of gold in Eren’s irises. His eyelashes aren’t too long, but he’d still seen the way that they’d flutter whenever Levi hit a particularly impressive note on his instrument. His smile changed his entire face from beautiful to positively _flawless,_ and Levi can’t remember when his perverted thoughts suddenly morphed into more innocent desires. One moment he wanted to fuck Eren and wet his pretty little thighs with his cum, and now he can’t picture himself doing that without giving Eren kisses every other thrust.

                Eren’s breathing has evened out against Levi’s collar. Levi tightens his hold on Eren’s upper arm, closing his _own_ eyes and losing himself in Eren’s strawberry bubblegum hair.

                Levi’s going to make Eren so fucking happy.

                No matter what.

                                                                                                             ~|~

                Eren sits on Levi’s couch, still trying to figure everything out.

                He’d fallen asleep a while ago, and he hadn’t woken up until midnight, which would mean that he’s been awake for maybe ten or fifteen minutes now. Levi excused himself and departed from the room, leaving Eren to wallow in the silence of Levi’s living area and bask in the artificial lighting. There are pictures of a girl who looks an awful lot like Levi on the table beside the couch that Eren’s sitting on, and Eren can only assume that it’s Mikasa. She looks too much like Levi to be anyone other than his sister.

                Eren has his legs on the couch, though that was more so because of Levi than himself. Once he’d woken up, he’d pushed himself off of Levi and apologized profusely for snoozing, to which Levi merely shrugged it off and mentioned that the movie went off an hour or two prior and Levi had been in the middle of watching some shitty cartoon. Levi had then paused the show, gotten up, and for whatever reason, he’d picked Eren up by his underarms and set him up against the arm of the couch. He’d also bent over and scooped Eren’s legs up, dropping them down on the cushions that once had occupied Levi. Eren doesn’t know why Levi did it, though his best suspicion says that Levi just wanted to make Eren comfortable. Which, Eren _is_ comfortable. The couch that Eren’s on is in the core of Levi’s apartment, the kitchenette just behind him, a television in front, his body engulfed by the solace of what Levi's space smells like. It's a homely sort of scent, and it matches the warm colors of the furniture.

                Levi hadn’t said much more than to wait for him before disappearing down a short hallway nearby. Eren can faintly hear ruffling coming from that way, but not much else.

                He honestly has no clue what reason Levi left the room so abruptly for. His best guess would be that maybe Levi drank coffee earlier and it’s messed with his bowels as per he says is the usual, but that can’t be true, considering that the bathroom is clearly right beside the kitchenette and _not_ down the hallway. He _could_ have another bathroom, but why would he go through all of the trouble of an extra twenty steps to head down said hallway and go into his bedroom? He’d have to be incredibly picky to want to do that, but Levi’s not picky. He chose to go on a date with _Eren,_ of all people.

                Maybe Levi’s gone to go get blankets or something. That’d make sense, seeing as how Eren doubts that he’s going home tonight. Or maybe Levi’s getting night clothes for Eren to change into. He wouldn’t mind, especially not if Levi’s clothing smells like Levi does - which, by the way, is something like Windex if it had vanilla essence dumped into it. Not necessarily as unpleasant as it sounds, though.

                Maybe Levi had gone to go dress himself up. Maybe he’s going to pull out a ring and propose to Eren. Oh, _hell_ , Eren hopes not, he’s not ready for marriage, he’s hardly ready for-

                “Oi, brat, you said you like my music, right?”

                “Yeah,” Eren nods, watching as Levi enters the room again. He’s loosely holding onto a guitar, though it’s different from the one he used at school - this one, it’s more of a bass guitar than anything else, the body of it black enough to match Levi’s hair. The one he uses at school is more of an acoustic guitar, though Eren wouldn’t claim to be an expert on musical instruments.

                “Close your eyes, then. And try not to fall asleep again.”

                Eren laughs, sending Levi a playful glare, before throwing his head back and doing as Levi requests. A few seconds pass where he hears some moving going on behind him, and his eyes shoot back open just in time to see Levi above him, lips pressed to Eren’s temple. His lips feel rather cold, but Eren can’t help himself when he reaches his arms up and grabs a hold of Levi’s shirt, tugging him down for a _real_ kiss.

                Levi moans against Eren’s mouth, and Levi’s moan is deep and sultry, sending a wave of ecstasy through Eren's spine. The kiss is awkward, given their position, but Eren doesn’t regret it one bit, especially not when Levi pulls away and Eren gets to look up into his dull eyes. His dull eyes, glossed over with something Eren can’t quite place, even when Levi’s tongue slips out to lick his lips.

                “Talk to me, kid,” Levi says suddenly, and he walks over to the front of the couch and plops down right beside Eren. His back is to him, and he’s only _just_ able to sit on the cushion given that Eren’s occupying most of the space behind him and Levi’s sitting in such a way that his butt’s pressed against Eren’s knees.

                “About what?”

                “Tell me why you like my music so much. I’m about as good at playing guitar as I am at shitting.”

                “Must be pretty good at shitting, then,” Eren nudges his side, earning a sneer from Levi. “You’re the first guy I’ve met in a while that likes playing guitar. I’m not really picky.”

                “So it’s not that I’m good at it. It’s just that you like boys who know how to use their fingers, right?”

                “ _No,_ ” Eren’s nudge turns to a jab, and Levi winces. “You’re _good,_ I was just saying why I chose to listen to _you_ all the time and not someone else.”

                “I’m just a talentless loser, aren’t I? You’re hurting me, Eren.”

                “ _I didn’t say that,_ ” he hisses, “I just- You remind me a lot of my father.”

                “What, are you saying that you’d go on dates with your dad? That doesn’t make me feel better, brat.”

                Eren groans, and Levi chuckles as he starts plucking on the instrument in his arms. He holds it up so that the neck is the furthest part away from Eren, meaning that Levi’s head is also facing away from him so that he can look down at the strings as he tugs absentmindedly on random chords. Eren might not be able to see Levi’s face, but just watching his arms flex over the instrument, each movement shifting his muscle, well, Eren wouldn’t be opposed to that offering of marriage right about now.

                “I _meant,_ ” Eren mutters, a laugh threatening to escape, “My dad used to play music for me when I was like, five. He played piano and other shit, too, but he mostly went for his guitar. He named his favorite one after me.”

                “Ah, _Eren the guitar?_ That’s lovely.” Sarcasm is evident in Levi’s tone, but Eren can’t fight the smile on his face. He leans his head against the back of the couch, half of his face getting lost in the soft surface. “If I had to name this one, I’d go for _Rivaille._ ”

                “Why?” Eren asks.

                “Because it sounds like _‘Levi,’_ except with an R in the front. Sort of like saying it with an accent. Plus, it’s spelled really fancy.”

                “No special meaning behind it?”

                “No. I might be good at shitting, but I’m not good at naming things.”

                Another laugh falls from Eren, and he sits up a little straighter. He leans forward, laying his chin on Levi’s shoulder. Levi doesn’t move, still focused on his instrument, so Eren tries to distract him a bit with a kiss to the back of Levi’s neck, right over the nape. _That_ action warrants a breathy exhale, an exhale only heightened when Eren sneaks his hands up Levi’s chest, hugging him from behind as best he can in this position. Levi doesn’t stop tugging on the strings of his guitar, though, so Eren buries his nose against the spot of Levi’s neck that he’d just kissed.

                “Eren,” Levi murmurs, his voice low but still audible due to him not playing the guitar too loudly, “You said you only live with your mom now, right?”

                “Mhm.”

                “What happened to your dad? You don't have to tell me, obviously, I'm just curious. Since you brought him up and all.”

                Eren doesn’t say anything immediately, finding a little too much happiness in the light brush of Levi’s undercut against his nose, the part of his hair that ends right where Eren’s nose touches. “He died.”

                “Wanna tell me how? If you do, I’ll play any song you want me to.”

                Eren considers this for a moment, smiling against Levi’s skin before falling back against the couch, lying down now. Levi glances over at him, halting his instrument playing.

                “He used to work in a guitar store. Mom would work until five, so I’d stay with my dad all day, and when nobody else was in the shop, he’d play songs for me and stuff. I never really learned how to play anything, myself, but I was pretty fucking good at playing the triangle.”

                Levi bends over and sets his guitar on the floor with a slight grunt, before crawling on top of Eren and pinning him to the cushions. Levi’s knees sit by Eren’s waist, and his fingers curl around Eren’s wrists while Levi pecks kisses to Eren’s jaw. Eren doesn’t know what he’s done to deserve this, but hey, he’s not going to tell Levi to stop.

                “When I was around ten years old, I went on a field trip with my school. It only lasted about three or four days, I think, but when I came home, I found out that my dad had died because of a fire. It burned down the guitar store, and my mom decided not to interrupt my field trip by calling and explaining what happened. So my dad was dead for a few days before I’d found out.”

                Levi doesn’t stop kissing him, though he slows down to a more gradual pace, tracing the path of his jaw with long touches. He eventually reaches a spot just below Eren’s ear, and with a brief hush, he nibbles on the skin just enough to leave a mark behind.

                Despite Levi trying to shush Eren, gasps still escape his throat with every bite that Levi puts on his neck, a trail of them from his ear to his collar bones. He ends each bite with a lick and a kiss, and Eren slides his wrists out of Levi's grasp and puts his fingers over Levi’s shoulders in a weak attempt to return the pleasure with light squeezes. Eren’s certain that there’s _nothing_ that feels as good as Levi’s lips against his throat, but Levi groans faintly once Eren’s nails brush his neck, so Eren’s not too sure anymore.

                "So my music reminds you of your father?" Levi murmurs.

                "I guess you could say that."

                "Call me daddy, then."

                “ _Levi,_ ” Eren sighs, shoving his shoulder playfully, but then he says,“I- I thought you were going to play a song for me?”

                Levi pauses. He stares up at Eren, his face by Eren’s chest, having had just given Eren a particularly long kiss over his heart. His mouth twitches so slightly, a smile almost forming on his features, but he then pulls himself off of Eren and grabs his guitar back up from the ground. This time, he sits with his body turned _towards_ Eren rather than _away_ from Eren.

                Their legs touch, Levi’s eyes the softest Eren’s ever seen them. Something about telling Levi an experience so personal about himself must’ve struck him, and Eren doesn’t regret it. The pain from having his dad die when he was so young has numbed out by now, so all he feels is the strong wave of nostalgia that comes with having Levi play music for his ears.

                “Any requests?” Levi asks, “I’ve gotta warn you though, I only know how to play Daft Punk songs. And the shitty music that Hanji and Mike write.”

                “But you said that you’d play any song I ask you to.”

                “I lied. Just pretend that you’ve been dying for me to play _Around the World_ for you all day.”

                “ _Jerk._ ”

                “ _Shithead_. Do me a favor and go get me the hand sanitizer out of my room, I’d like to have clean hands before I play an actual song for you.”

                “I didn’t think you’d care about being clean.”

                “And _I_ didn’t think you’d be so goddamned cute when you’re making stupid comments about me, so I guess we’re both at a loss. Get me the fucking hand sanitizer. It’s on the dresser next to the sex whips and blindfolds.”

                “ _What?_ ”

                “It’s a joke,” Levi says.

                “Oh. You got my hopes up.”

                “Wh- _Really?_ If you’re serious, I can go and-”

                Eren stands up, narrowing his eyes at Levi. “That was _also_ a joke.”

                “Fuck you. You got _my_ hopes up.”

                Eren laughs at that, and he turns around to head down the hallway towards Levi’s room. There are only two other rooms in the hallway, and one is clearly marked as _Mikasa,_ while the one beside it looks to be a closet of sorts with the door opened halfway. Levi’s room must be the third one, the only room on the right side of the hall.

                Before Eren heads down that way, he turns around toward Levi and mutters, “If you want, though, we _could-_ ”

                “I know what you’re doing. Don’t fucking tease me like that, shitface.”

                Eren smiles. It’s a shit-eating grin, but it’s a _smile._

                And he almost swears that he sees Levi, a man who's shown little expression to him in the few hours that Eren's had to get to know him, smile back before Eren disappears down the hallway.

                                                                                                             ~|~

                “Do you guys have a name yet?”

                In her excitement over Eren’s words, Hanji drops the tuba that she and Mike had been trying to move out of the way - it was left perched in the center of the room where Mike's drums usually go, probably forgotten behind by some stupid kid - onto Mike’s foot. He yelps and drops _his_ end of the tuba, and Levi hears a snicker sound from Eren beside him.

                “A _name?_ ” Hanji exclaims, “Like, for our band? We should name ourselves-”

                “I swear, Hanji,” Levi growls, letting go of the body of his guitar and wrapping his arm around Eren’s waist, “If you suggest something _stupid-_ ”

                “ _The Ackerman-Zoe-Zacharius trio!_ Combining Levi’s last name, _my_ last name, and Mike’s last name!”

                “Why does mine have to be last?” Mike mutters, shooting Hanji daggers for dropping the tuba on him.

                “That’s a shitty name,” Levi says, disregarding Mike's question.

                The band room, much to Eren’s obvious delight - and, admittedly, Levi’s, too, but it was clear that Eren appreciated it more, what with the way his eyes lit up when he’d heard the news - was conveniently free today, it being the first Monday since Levi’s date with Eren. After Eren told Levi about why he adores his ability to play guitar so well, the date wasn’t much more than Levi trying to get Eren to choose a damned Daft Punk song to play. Levi ended up having to pick for him, because while Eren apparently is just fine with picking out a Netflix movie to watch, he can’t handle the pressure of having to pick out a song to listen to Levi play for him.

                Though, on the bright side, Levi learned that Eren has a surprisingly good singing voice. Like, _really_ good. He’d told Eren, too, but Eren just blushed and said that he used to sing a lot when his dad was around.

                Levi almost wants to offer Eren a spot in their, er, _Ackerman-Zoe-Zacharius trio_ band as a lead singer, but he really doesn’t want to have to listen to Hanji tack Eren’s last name onto that already shitty title.

                “Or maybe,” Hanji suggests, “ _Zochariman._ It’s a combination of all of our last names!”

                “Holy shit, no,” Levi rejects. Eren giggles.

                “You know,” Eren adds, “If you guys can’t think of a name, you could always just go with no name.”

                “ _No Name?_ ” Hanji’s eyes practically sparkle at the thought. “Like, _‘No Name’?_ Eren, you’re a genius!”

                “I, uh, I didn’t mean-”

                Hanji reaches a hand out and ruffles Eren’s hair. “You’re amazing! See, Levi, I told you that he’s a smart cookie. Mike, get me a piece of paper, I need to start making t-shirt designs!”

                Levi sighs, his hand still on Eren’s hip. Levi slips his hand over onto Eren’s lower back, his fingers sneaking up the back of Eren’s shirt. Eren glances over at him, his cheeks a light pink and eyes blue once again.

                Levi takes a sort of pride in knowing that he’s the reason for Eren’s flushed face. Even if it’s only caused by the slight brush of his fingers over the dimples above Eren’s ass. Which, by the way, are the cutest fucking dimples that Levi’s ever seen - he’d first seen them on Saturday, after his and Eren’s movie date. Eren had gotten up to go search through Levi’s kitchen for a snack, and when he’d stood up, Eren had yawned and stretched his arms above his head, which in turn lifted the bottom of his shirt up just high enough to expose those little indents on his back.

                Needless to say, Levi _really_ likes to touch Eren’s dimples now.

                “ _No Name,_ huh?” Levi pokes at Eren’s lower back, “You know, you could probably be a part of our group if you wanted to. Mikasa has this really pretty pink skirt that you could-”

                “ _Bandages!_ ” Hanji shouts, Mike flinching at the volume. “We should use bandages! To cover our eyes, yeah? Then nobody will know that it’s us, and if we suck, we won’t be ridiculed for it!”

                “You really don’t have much faith in us, do you?” Mike tsks.

                “Have you guys, uh,” Eren looks over at Levi, voice fairly low when compared to the level that Hanji was just at, “Have you guys ever made any actual songs?”

                “A few. They have lyrics, though. Which brings me back to you and Mikasa’s pink skirt.”

                “Why the hell do I have to wear a skirt? Can’t I just have bandages like the rest of you?”

                “No, the lead singer needs to stick out, dumbass.”

                “I haven’t agreed to being the lead singer yet.”

                Ignoring that, Levi says, “You’ll love the dress, trust me.”

                “It sounds more like _you’ll_ love the dress.”

                “On you, sure as hell. You could probably even put some bows in your hair or something. You’d be a really cute lead singer.”

                “ _Your_ voice isn’t bad, either.”

                “You haven’t heard me sing yet.”

                “But I’ve heard you talk. And I like it.”

                Levi places a kiss on Eren’s jaw. “You’re not bad, brat.”

                Him and his melodic voice. His tanned skin. His perfect legs. His small smiles. His strawberry bubblegum scented hair. His eyes when he listens to Levi play his guitar, his pupils dilated and wet with tears that refuse to fall. The specks of gold that hide in his irises when Levi’s tuning a song for him. The fact that, even after some of the shit that Levi’s said to him, Eren still hasn’t brushed him off as someone not worth his time. Eren hasn’t even bothered to ask why Levi calls him a _‘brat’_ all the time, and Levi actually likes that. He’s tired of having to explain to everybody the sort of habits he has, along with having to put up with Hanji trying to reason that his nicknames are born through from his old geezer mentality.

                Eren's not bad at all. A shitty brat, maybe, but he’s not bad.

**Author's Note:**

> hopefully the actually story is better than my horrible summary ;P
> 
> also, thanks to chlo and taylor for proofreading this hehe <3


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